Collar and like stayed construction



Feb- 1955 J. R. SUCHER COLLAR AND LIKE STAYED CONSTRUCTION 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 EIIIIIIIIIIII .I

ORNEY INVE TOR BY 74 W if ATT Filed June 10. 195o Feb. 15, 1955 J. R. SUCHER com AND LIKE s'rmsn cons'mucnon 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 10, 1950 [2N5 TQR 6 BY I ZQ'TQRNEY Feb. 15, 1955 J. R. SUCHER COLLAR AND LIKE STAYED CONSTRUCTION 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed June 10, 1950 INVENTOR %LQDRNEY United States Patent COLLAR AND LIKE STAYED CONSTRUCTION Joseph R. Sucher, Woodmere, N. Y.,

Manufacturing Company, New York, N. Y., nership Application June 10, 1950, Serial No.'167,332

6 Claims. 01. 2-132 assignor to Emsig a part- Known to me is the employment of stays made from spring metal and thermoplastic material, such as cellulose nitrate, cellulose acetate, which are formed into sheets, and affixed into a pocket formed in a collar, to leave the major portion of the collar or garment soft and comfortable, while distending predetermined portions of the garment, such as the points, in a neat manner, free from wrinkles and creases. Stays made of the above thermoplastic materials, if left in the garment while subjected to laundering operations, are calculated to resist the laundering operations but do not resist temperatures employed in ironing apparel, but become tacky and tend to cement the layers of fabric to each other. Likewise, the stay either breaks, creases or tears the garment, if left in position during laundering, to mar the goods.

Repeated laundering of garments, with the usual practice of removing the stay, is accompanied by an accumulation of starch in the pocket for the stay, to make replacement of the original stay in the intended position within the garment difiicult.

The use of the foregoing materials, which may be characterized as whalebone substitutes, the development of garments to receive the same which make provision for removal of the stay before laundering, at the risk of tearing or marring the garment, if not so removed. Attempts to simulate, in a degree, the effect of starch in ironing garments by fusion processes are known to me, but these, as in the case of fusible stays, such as cellulose acetate, bind the plies of fabric together during ironing, eventually to weaken the fabric.

I have discovered that mere durability during laundering of materials employed as stays, such for example as metal strips, nitrocellulose foils or sheets, cellulose acetate foils or sheets, which has been the objective here-.

tofore in the selection of materials for stays is a property to be avoided. I have discovered that by the employment of a stay having a temporary condition of limpness during laundering and the property of absorbing water or the like laundering fluids to become reduced to a'limp condition, coupled with a property for restoration of stiffness or horniness under drying temperatures, will permit of a collar construction which when dry, after ironing, has all the desirable attributes of a stayed garment, without sacrificing any element of appearance, if initially constructed as part of the garment or retained herein,

designedly or accidentally. v

Specifically, my invention is predicated upon the discovery of a material which, when formed into sheets by moulding or extrusion in predetermined thickness, has the desired horny character of snap stiffness, to act as. a stay but, because it absorbs water and other aqueous materials used in laundering or cleaning garments, has been considered objectionable for use wherever indiscriminate ironing temperatures are to be employed.

Specifically, I have discovered that the employment as a stay of a normal water repellent, horny sheeted material which has relatively high water absorption characteristics, to become relatively limp, permits an unrestrained laundering operation and the subsequent ironing operations to be perfo rmed on the garment with the stay retained therein, without sacrificing the desired has resulted in I 2,701,880 Patented Feb. 15, 1955 2 properties of horniness or stiffness of the stay when the material combines the hereinbelow described characteristics.

Still more particularly, it is an object of my invention to provide a garment and stay which may hold the stay against displacement from'the desired place once it is combined with the garment, and which is characterized by (1) a horny quality for stifiening predetermined portions of the garment, and when laundered, absorbing suflicient water and/or laundering fluids to become relatively limp, not to interfere with the laundering operations; (2) which does not become tacky at temperatures below scorching of the fabric, to permit repeated laundering operations without uniting or integrating the plies to each other and diffusing the stay material into the fabric, tending to tear the plies; (3) which responds to heat for ironing below scorching temperatures of the fabric, to restore the original horny staying property; (4) providing a material of low thickness with relation to the fabric it underlies, to provide the requisite staying property withoutv marring the surface of the overlying layer by displaying ridges whenironed with the stay in position.

Stillrnore particularly it is an object of my invention to provide a garment construction employing stays which will permit employment of stays during manufacture without uneconomical departure from commercial methods for making these garments, while embodying features permitting laundering of the garments with the stays embodied therein. y I

Still more particularly'it is an object of my invention to provide a stay for reinforcing articles of apparel which will have all the advantages or removability rrom a garment and which will not adversely affect the garment if left in it while subjected to normal laundering and ironlng operations.

To attain theseobjects and such further objects as may appear herein or be hereinafter pointed out, 1 make reference to the accompanying drawing forming a part hereof, in which Figure 1 is a fragmentary plan view of a collar illustrating my invention;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the stay embodied in the garment in accordance with Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a magnified section taken on the line 3-3 of Figure l;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary plan view of a collar in accordance with another embodiment of my invention;

Figure 5 is a plan view of a stay to be embodied therein; 7

Figure 6 is a section'taken on the line 6-6 of Figure Figure 7 is a plan view of a fragment of a collar in accordance with another embodiment of my invention;

Figure 8 is a stay to be embodied therein;

Figure 9 is a magnified section taken on the line 99 of Figure 7;

Figure 10 is a fragmentary plan view of a still further embodiment of my invention;

Figure 11 13 a section taken on the line 1111 of Figure 10;

Figure 12 is a fragmentary plan view of a collar embodying another embodiment of my invention;

' 13-13 of Figure 12;

Figure 14 is aperspective view of the plies combined with the stay before turning.

Figure 15 is a fragmentary perspective view of a collar and stay showing the plies and stay of another embodiment of my invention;

Figure 16 is a plan view of the stay to be embodied in the assembly shown in Figure 15;

Figure 17 is a fragmentary perspective view of a collar and stay showing the plies and stay of still another embodiment;

Figure 18 is a plan view of the stay to be embodied in the assembly shown in Figure 17.

My invention, in summary, resides in the provision of a stay which has the requisite horny characteristic of resilient snap stiffness, i. e. stiffness to distend the garment and give it a neat appearance; absorbs water and becomes limp to permit laundering operations to be carried out without tearing the fabric with which it is combined; may be permanently retained in the garment and resists ironing temperatures tending to laminate or unify the plies with which it is combined; does not weaken when ironed yet responds to restoration to the initially stiff condition; has requisite staying properties or stiffness without being of such bulk as to form ridges when ironed in the garment; the provision of a garment, such as a collar, which has a stay incorporated in it as part of the collar producing operations, to provide the desired staying effect, permitting laundering by becoming limp without tearing the collar, and may undergo repeated laundering operations without weakening the collar structure or stay.

More specifically, my invention resides in embodying a nylon stay, removably or permanently, in a collar at predetermined portions to be stayed, and to undergo laundering operations without harmful effects by reason of the absorption of water, to render the stays soft or resiliently limp when wet, and reverting to its original form or horny, stiffened condition when dry, and during normal ironing of the garment exhibiting no adhesive tendencies. By way of further defining the terms soft or resiliently limp as used herein, it is contemplated to embrace the condition that under aqueous laundering operationsof a shirt having a nylon collar stay in accordance with the teachings of the present invention, the stay is deformable and yields with the shirt fabric so as not to pierce the fabric.

In the drawing there is illustrated a fragment of a neckband of a shirt, to which is sewn a collar 11 comprising the facing ply 12, the back ply 13, the liner 14, which composite is sewn together by the peripheral row of stitches 15 for the three plies and with the row of stitches 16 uniting the back ply and lining, to form the stay pocket 17, and then turned to the obverse side and united by the row of border stitches 18, leaving an open entrance end 19 and an abutment wall 20 adjacent the collar point 21. The mouth 19 may be finished by a seam to lie adjacent the fold line of the collar band, in which event a stay may be inserted in the pocket 17 provided at each corner after the collar and shirt to which it is applied is completed. The mouth 19 may be closed by the row of stitches 22 for attaching the collar to the band, in which event the stay may be incorporated before the collar making operations are completed and then the collar operations of attaching the collar to the neckband may be accomplished.

Where the stay is inserted after the collar is completed,

I may employ a form of stay which is not removed or displaced in the laundering operations, notwithstanding the slit 19 not being closed by stitching. In this form of construction I provide a water repellent, horny stay 23, deformable by water, of the material hereinafter to be described, having an angular forward edge 24 conforming to the end 20 of the stay pocket 17 previously described. The edges 25 and 26 are formed with barbs 27, whose points are directed away from the edge 24. These barbs, serrations or saw teeth are spaced apart with some relation to the spacing between the rows of stitches 16 and 18 and the penetrating point of these stitches through the plies forming the pocket 17, so that the pocket is distended and the darts 27 enter the plies between the stitches, and engage the'same to prevent accidental displacement, and urge the edge 24 into engagement with the bottom wall 20. Where the stay 23 is made with the engaging edges as described, standard collar construction practices may be followed as with those permitting removable stays. However, laundering will not dislodge the stay from position, and upon being subjected to the pressing or ironing operations, the relatively limp stay, even though creased in laundering, may be restored to horny stifiness. This present operation may be carried out without leaving marring ridges where a thickness of stay is employed as hereinafter described. Ironing temperatures up to those which will scorch cotton or wool may be employed, without rendering the stay tacky, to disperse it in the superfices of the fabric and laminate the plies, where made of the materials herein after described.

In Figures 4, 5 and 6 I have shown another embodiment of my invention in which the stay 23a has an end edge 24a, with the side edges 25a and 26a left smooth as in the use of commonly employed stays which are to be removed from garments. The garment in the form of a collar 11a is formed with a pocket 17a between the back layer 13a and the liner layer 14a. A slotted portion 19a, spaced from the stitch line 22a, permits insertion of the stay therethrough. The slot 19a being spaced from the stitch line and the end 24b of the stay being extended to the fold line of the collar, accidental displacement is avoided in normal use. The utility of this form of construction will be described in connection with the embodiments hereinafter referred to.

In Figures 7, 8 and 9 a still further embodiment of my invention is illustrated wherein the collar 11b is formed with a stay pocket 17b, as in the first embodiment described by me. In this form of construction, a stay 23b is provided having the side edges thereof smooth as in the embodiment illustrated in Figure 5. The end 24c is formed with a slot 24d, providing bifurcations or fingers 24c. In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 7, the collar may be provided with a stay pocket 17b normally employed for removable stays illustrated in Figures 1 and 4. The rear ply 13b is formed with a layer terminating into an edge 19b, forming an entrance to the pocket to receive the stay 23b. The plies comprising the back ply and lining ply 14b are supplied before tuming the collar, with tacking stitches 28, 29 and 30, to provide loops 31 which may be engaged by thefingers 24c, previously described, spanning-the through stitch 29, to prevent displacement of the stay when it has been pushed into the pocket, past the entrance 19b so that the edge 24) abuts the pocket adjacent the bottom wall 20. Displacement of the stay is thereby prevented.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 10, I show a collar whose back ply 13c and lining ply 14c are joined to the face ply in the normal way in making collars, before attachment to the band, where three plies of fabric are employed. At this stage, a stay strip 230 is inserted and the stay is tacked in corner engaging position by the rows of stitches 32, after applying the plies with the usual peripheral stitch,33. The composite then permits turning of the collar to position the face ply tohem one side of the liner ply 14c and the row of border stitches 34 is applied. The stay strip 23c is thereby incorporated into the garment during the manufacturing process.

The width of the stay strip in this embodiment may be extended to permit the staying action with a relatively thinner form of stay material as herein employed so that instead of relying upon the distending force of a narrow strip of stiffener material, a more extensive width may be employed of a lesser gauge.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figures 12 to 14, there is illustrated a collar 11d whereby the strip of stay material 23d is united to the collar during the same stitching operation employed for uniting the pike to each other. As shown in Figure 14, the collar plies are arranged to position the liner ply 35 to one side of the facing material 36, with the rear face ply 37 overlying the facing ply 36. When the edges of these plies are co-terminous, the row of stitches 38 is passed through the three plies and the overlying stay strip 23d, to unite the plies and stay at the same operation. Thereupon, in turning the collar a relationship of the parts is secured as shown in Figure 13, with the seam forming the edge of the collar.

With wool shirts of heavy bodied shirting fabric, a

' row of border stitches 39 may be passed through the plies 36, 35, 37 and the stay 23d. The row of border stitches 39 may, however, be omitted as the peripheral edge 23:: of the stay which is closely adjacent to the row of stitches 38 will hold the collar stretched by the stay 23d.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figures 15 and 16, there is shown a collar 11e wherein the strip of stay material 23 is'united to the collar before attachment of the collar to the collar band or shirt. As shown in Figure 15, the collar plies are arranged to position the liner ply 35a to one side of the facing material 36a, with the rear face ply 37a overlying the liner ply after turning in the normal way. The rear face ply 37:: adjacent the edge 40 is spaced from the fold line 41 at an angle to provide a spaced edge 42 running diagonally over the liner ply 35a. Rows of stitches 43-43 define a pocket having a mouth portion 44. Through this mouth there is extended the stay 23f whose angularly pointed edge 45 conforms congruently to the collar point 46. Its rear edge 47 is extended to become exposed adjacent the edge 42. A perforation 4% is arranged to receive a tacking stitch 49 passing through the ply 35a. This tacking stitch may be applied after the collaris turned and before the edge 41 is aflixed to the shirt or to the collar band, if such is employed. Thereafter, the edge 41 is affixed to the shirt or collar band by the usual procedure.

The tacking stitch as described permanently retains the stay 231 in the collar for laundering operations, as previously described in connection with the prior embodiments.

Should the user find it undesirable to employ a stay in the shirt that he purchases, he may sever the tacking stitch 49 to permit removal or sever the stay by-a scissor cut 49a shown by the dotted line. The severance of the tacking stitch or by a slit likewise permits a selection of use of the collar with or without a stay.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figures 17 and 18, a similar arrangement is shown with regard to the collar structure as shown in Figure 15. In this embodiment, however, the stay 23g is formed adjacent its rearmost end 47a with a tongue 48a having a lobe 50, laterally directed in the path of the reentrance slot 51, to form a displaced mouth 52. The position of the tongue 48a with regard to the edge 42 is calculated to be such that it is retained within the pocket defined by the rows of stitches 43-43. A tacking stitch 49b is applied to pass through the plies 35a and 37a after the collar is turned and the stay 23g is slid into position. The loop thus formed through the layers acts as an anchor for the engagement of the tongue 48a, holding the stay against accidental displacement once the stay has been incorporated in the collar, and may be used in permanent form when the collar undergoes the laundering operations, including washing and ironing, as previously described. However, the open mouth 42 of the slot permits of the removal of the stay by backing the lobe 50 into the pocket, to disengage the tongue from the tacking stitch 49a.

By the constructions described, I have provided a combination collar and stay in which the stay is permanently incorporated in the collar, temporarily incorporated therein or may be removably incorporated therein, as the taste of the wearer may dictate. However, in each instance the stay may be retained in the collar assembly to undergo the laundering operations, including ironing, to restore the assembly to its original condition, with the benefits heretofore emphasized.

It will be observed that by the various constructions described, normal collar making procedure may be followed, to provide a stay which may be removably included in the assembly as illustrated in Figures 1 to 9, 17 and 18, or permanently included, as illustrated in Figures to 16, as part of the shirt making procedure, adding little or no additional cost to the usual fabricating process and in no way interfering with such prior routine procedural practices in making collars with removable sta s.

The material which I employ is nylon, extruded or cast to a thickness ranging from .010 to .015 for shirting materials such as percale or broadcloth. For heavier shirting stock, such as employed in wool or flannel shirts, the thickness of the sheets may be as high as .025. Widths of from 71 and greater may be employed. For other garments, a relationship of stay size and thickness may vary with the fabric employed.

The nylon which I prefer to use is known in the trade as FM10001, which has a melting point of approximately 507 F. The nylon FM3001 and FM3003, of a melting point of 455 F. may likewise be employed in a measure, although not preferred as much as FM10001.

The material chosen has a tensile strength of 10,530 pounds at 77 F., a stiffness characteristic of a modulus of elasticity above 130,000 pounds per square inch and preferably about 325,000 pounds per square inch; a fiexural strength of 8,000 to 13,000 pounds per square inch and higher, and a water absorption factor of 1.5%, preferably not in excess of 2.3%, and a minimum of .44% for the less desirable limit; a stifiness or horny property of from 290,000 to 152,000 pounds per square inch at 77 F.

The material is further characterized by being susceptible of quick drying at ironing temperatures at or below scorching temperatures for the fabric, without exhibiting any tack or deterioration in strength by repeated moistening and hot ironing. Drying under the ironing temperature below that which would scorch the fabric and with the incident pressure will restore the strip from the wet condition or with absorbed water to cause a degree of limpness, to the horny springiness and snap, without tack or penetration of the fabric with which the stay is combined.

Any creases which may have been formed in the stay by reason of the laundering process are removed by the hot-ironing operation which is applied to the fabric, likewise to remove the creases from the stay as well as to re-establish the horny springiness of the original, dry

stay.

In general, the thickness of the nylon is chosen with regard to the fabric with which the stay is combined. Thus, a thickness of .010 to .015 is employed with broadcloth or percale shirting material in that under temperatures normally employed for ironing such shirtings, there will not result any discernible groove or ridge caused by the edge of the stay, whereas with thicker shirtings, such as wool or fiannels, a thicker stay may be employed, without evidencing ridges in ironing the composite.

The term nylon as employed herein is the generic term for any long-chain synthetic polymeric amide which has recurring amide groups as an integral part of the main polymer chain, and which is capable of being formed into a filament in which the structural elements are oriented in the direction of the axis, the basic constituent of which is made under United States Patents No. 2,071,250 issued February 16, 1937 and Carothers No. 2,130,523, issued September 20, 1938.

Having thus described my invention and illustrated its use, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A collar stay of sheeted nylon of a thickness ranging from .010 to .025 inch, for combination with a shirting material of the class such as percale, broadcloth, wool, flannel, in accordance with the thickness of such shirting, having a melting point of approximately 507 F., a tensile strength or 10,530 pounds at 77 F.; a horny stiffness of a modulus of elasticity above 130,000 pounds per square inch, a flexural strength in excess of 13,000 pounds per square inch, a stiffness of 290,000 to 152,000 pounds per square inch; and a water absorption factor of 1.5%, said stay being characterized by being deformable and yielding with the shirt fabric durng aqueous laundering operations and restorable upon ironing of the fabric with which it is combined as a stay substantially to its original form, without adhesive lamination of the plies of the fabric thereto.

2. A collar stay of sheeted nylon of a thickness of .015 inch for shirting material'comprising percale or broadcloth, characterized by a melting point of approximately 507 F.; a horny stifiness characterized by a tensile strength of 10,530 pounds at 77 F., a modulus of elasticity of about 325,000 pounds per squareinch, a stiffness of about 290,000 pounds per square inch; and a water absorption factor of 1.5%, said stay being characterized by its washability in a shirting material and being deformable and yielding with the shirt fabric so as not to pierce the fabric during aqueous laundering operations, and being restorable upon ironing of the fabric up to the charring point of the fabric to restore the stay substantially to its original form, without adhesive lamination thereof to the plies of the fabric.

3. A shirt collar stay of sheeted nylon of a thickness capable of being pierced in the collar sewing operations which, upon aqueous laundering in combination with the fabric and ironing of the same, evidences no superficial bulk on the face of the collar, said stay imparting to the collar a horny stiffness before and after ironing upon laundering, said stay being characterized by a melting point of from 455 F. to 507 F.; a flexural strength at 77 F. of from 8,000 to 13,000 pounds per. square inch, a stiffness of from 152,000 to 290,000 pounds per square inch; a water absorption factor not in excess of 2.3% and a minimum of .44% said stay being characterized by its washability in a shirting material and being deformable and yielding with the shirt fabric so as not to pierce the fabric during aqueous laundering operations, and being restorable upon ironing of the fabric up to the charring point of the fabric to restore the stay substantially to its original form, without adhesive lamination thereof to the plies of the fabric.

4. An article of apparel including a stay comprising a collar or the like made from a plurality of fabric layers, stitched together at spaced points to define a stay pouch,

5. An article of apparel including a stay, comprising a collar or the like made from a plurality of fabric layers, stitched together at spaced points to define a stay pouch,

an edge of said stay having engaging means, said stay being a sheeted strip in accordance with claim 2.

6. An article of apparel including a stay; comprising a collar or'the like made from a plurality of fabric layers,

\ stitched together at spaced points to define a stay pouch,

an edge of said stay having engaging means, said stay being a sheeted strip in accordance with claim 3.

8 Reteuneel Cited inthe file ofthispatent UNITED STATES PATENTS Van Decar June 25, 1918 Abeles et al Aug. 18, 1931 Gray et al Nov. 24, 1931 Haven Aug. 14, 1934 Burrow Feb. 9, 1937 Gordon Feb. 2, 1943' 

